This is the Liturgy of the Hours for March 30. Your local date is .
“What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled.”[1]
Holy Saturday is a day of silence, rest, and prayer. Today God is concealed, which creates a divine pause, stilling our hearts. Traditionally, there are no liturgical celebrations until the Vigil as the Church waits for the return of the Servant. As the people of God, we are asked to enter into Christ’s rest, a form of self-emptying. As Pope Francis said, “Holy Week is not so much a time of sorrow, but rather a time to enter into Christ’s way of thinking and acting. It is a time of grace given us by the Lord so that we can move beyond a dull or mechanical way of living our faith, and instead open the doors of our hearts.”[2][3]
Written by Sarah Ciotti
Reviewed by Fr. Hugh Feiss, OSB, STD
[1] Unknown, The Lord’s Descent into Hell, ed Pontifical University Saint Thomas Aquinas, Vatican.va.
[2] Francis I, March 27, 2013.
[3] Adrian Nocent, OSB, The Liturgical Year: Lent & Holy Week (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1977), 94-98.
The Faith Journey of our Community
Carmen Valdes on March 30th, 2024 at 12:13
Thank you for the beautiful introduction to “Holy Saturday” ‘Let the echo of the word of God. Resonate in your soul”, time of prayer and contemplation at this unique prove of Christ’s love to rescue us from death, and bring us back to life and divine grace.